24 Jul Native American Jewelry’s Impact on Silver Sales
Silver might be going up in price in 2017. The price of silver, in recent years, has been drastically impacted by Native American jewelry. The market has been growing since 2010 and people want more and more of their work. It’s no surprise that people are drawn to the elegant silver inlay styles and the beautifully cut turquoise that rests in each silver setting. Because of their style and influence, the Southwest is completely decorated with the Native jewelry and art.
I’ve written a lot about the rising price of turquoise but silver seems to be yet another byproduct of fine Native American jewelry.
2016 saw many conflicts involving Native American rights that brought their culture to the forefront of the media. The fashion industry was also showing off some of their authentic Native designs and the talented faces behind each piece in a series of op-eds.
2017 seems to be continuing the motif of exemplifying Native American art through various mediums, most significantly in fashion. Recent trends suggest that silver prices are expected to rise. This might be a result or can simply be that silver is a precious metal, I’ll let you decide.
I will say that it’s worth noting both silver and turquoise are rising in price, which are both the most used materials for Native American jewelry.
This is good news and bad news for buyers. If you decide to invest your money early in 2017, then you might get your money’s worth and then some.
I’m really excited because I have quite the stockpile of Native jewelry from my years as a collector. You don’t have a blog like mine without owning a few pieces.
I highly recommend reading some of my past blogs about learning to identify quality turquoise. As for the silver aspect of Native American jewelry, you should always test it.
How to Test Silver
You need to test the dry weight of silver on an accurate scale to .01g. You can also try using a magnet (should not be magnetic).
Another common method is to place an ice cube on the silver to see it if starts melting immediately. If it does, then you know it’s silver.
My suggestion, to all of my fans, is to invest your money in Native American jewelry that uses both silver and turquoise. This is a great way to diversify your portfolio and look great doing it!